What Does The Bible Say About Abortion? A Christian Study

Is the Bible silent on the issue of abortion?  Does it speak specifically about it or in general terms?  What Scriptures can we find and apply to see why abortion is sin?

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

Who made humans?  God has made us all because He says in the Scriptures “I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.”  We do not make ourselves. That is a ridiculous thought.  God makes us and when the psalmist says that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made” we can know that we are not really the Author of Life but God alone gives life at His good pleasure. To qualify this thought Psalm 139:13 says “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.” Clearly, God is the One Who formed us and the Hebrew word for knitted is “cakak” is to fence about, to shut in or to cover or protect and there are fewer places that are safer in this world than in a mother’s womb.  That it, it used to be until the scourge of abortion began.  The word used in the Hebrew for “formed” is quite interesting as it actually means “to get, acquire, or create” which means that God creates life in the womb and He is ultimately responsible for life and for life’s inception because the psalmist points to the word “you” twice as in “you formed (created) me” and “you knitted (covered) me.”  This does not say that my father and/or my mother conceived me, brought me about, brought me into existence, or caused my birth.  God alone (“You”) formed us and knitted us together.

God Knew us Before Conception

Amazingly, God knew us before we were even born.  How is this possible!? Read this startling evidence that God knew us by name, even before the earth existed, and most certainly this means before we even existed in Ephesians 1:4 that “even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world” that we have “been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will” (Eph 1:11).  God not only called you or predestined you before you even existed, He says that “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you” (Jer 1:5). Here is clear evidence that our life exists, in God’s eyes, before we did.  That means that every child that is yet to be born (the unborn) and those in their mother’s womb are already known by God.

Created for God’s Glory

We were not created for just any reason or an accidental encounter between two people.  Isaiah 43:7 says that “everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.” God speaks again through Isaiah, “thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine” (43:1).  I realize God is saying this about Israel but He also calls those who trust in His Son by name too because their name is written down in the Book of Life and that name of yours, if you are saved, is included, and not only that, Jesus will “confess [your] name before my Father, and before his angels” (Rev 3:5).

When Life Begins

Obviously, life begins at conception and really, in God’s eyes, you really already are before you are born and even conceived.  The Bible gives a clear example for the penalty for killing an unborn child in Exodus 22:22-23 “When men strive together and hit a pregnant woman, so that her children come out, but there is no harm, the one who hit her shall surely be fined, as the woman’s husband shall impose on him, and he shall pay as the judges determine.  But if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life.”  There is no doubt what a life for life means and so we see that a life is a life, even inside the womb of the mother. When Mary was pregnant with Jesus she went to visit Elizabeth and “when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!  And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?  For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy” (Luke 1:41-44).  Elizabeth refers to “the baby” leaping for joy which shows that a baby that is unborn is still a baby or a living human being.  The word used for baby is “brephos” which in Greek refers to an unborn child, and is the same word used in Luke 1:41 and in verse 44 for a “new-born child” or “an infant.”  How clear that is that a person is considered a living human being, even if they are unborn.

Conclusion

I work for a foster care agency and so many children are needed to be adopted and even though there are more children than homes, they are precious to me.  If you ever consider an abortion, understand that there are many more couples willing to adopt a baby than that there are babies available for adoption.  Also, and more importantly, they are a human being and God will not hold that person guiltless who abort a child, even though He will forgive them.  He hates abortion but He does not hate those who have an abortion and more so if they repent and ask for forgiveness.  One of the most beautiful and encouraging Scriptures found anywhere in the Bible shows us exactly what God thinks about you, if you are His, and that is found in Isaiah 43:2 which says “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you” and 2 Chronicles 16:9 “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him.” What tender thoughts from God the Father for those who are His own. Is that you?  If not, choose to repent and trust in Christ today.

Another Reading on Patheos to Check Out: What Did Jesus Really Look Like: A Look at the Bible Facts

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book  Blind Chance or Intelligent Design available on Amazon